Field
Devices and methods are disclosed for producing aligned holes from misaligned holes. More particularly, systems and methods are disclosed for determining the size of a fastener to be used and for producing aligned holes from the misaligned holes.
Background
When multiple objects are to be connected together, fasteners of various sizes are commonly used. A circular hole is then drilled into each object, and ideally the objects are then placed next to one another such that the respective holes in the objects overlap each other and circumferences of the holes align. For the purposes hereof, when two or more such holes overlap with one another, the passageway through the holes is referred to as the gap. The virtual hole diameter of the gap is defined as the bisector of the gap with the smallest length. As will be understood, it is the length of the smallest bisector through the gap which determines whether a given fastener will fit through the (mis)aligned holes. Presuming the holes in the objects align properly, the gap should have the same shape as either of the holes, such that the virtual hole diameter of the gap is equal to the diameter of either hole. This is because with aligned holes, all bisectors of the gap have the same length, which is equal to the diameter of either hole. A fastener which would fit through either of the holes should therefore fit through the gap defined by the aligned holes as well, so as to secure the objects together.
However, a hole in one of the objects may not align properly with the corresponding hole in the other object when the objects are brought together. Misalignment of the holes reduces the size of the resulting gap through the objects, and specifically results in a gap in which the shortest bisector is shorter than the diameter of either original hole. Thus, the misaligned holes result in a gap with a virtual hole diameter that is smaller than the diameter of either hole and that could potentially be too small for the intended fastener to fit therethrough. As will be understood, a virtual hole that has a diameter equal to the virtual hole diameter is theoretically the diameter of the largest fastener which would fit through a misaligned set of holes.
A common technique for correcting misaligned holes is to drill or ream a cleanup hole through the misaligned holes, centered on one of the misaligned holes. A cleanup hole is preferably large enough in diameter that all of the misaligned holes fit fully within the cleanup hole, such that nothing of the original misalignment remains. Once the cleanup hole has been created, a fastener—which may also have a larger diameter than the diameter of the originally intended fastener—is placed through the cleanup hole to secure the objects together.
Conventionally, cleanup holes are created on a trial-and-error basis. Progressively larger and larger diameter cutters are used to incrementally remove minimal amounts of material from the misaligned holes. Multiple sizes of go/no-go gages and visual inspection are used to determine whether the newly-created cleanup hole meets fastener installation requirements. This trial-and-error method involves an element of subjectivity and is labor intensive. Special drill jigs are clamped to two or more adjacent holes or surfaces and are adjusted to center on the near-side misaligned hole. Not only is this process time consuming, but also requires a larger diameter hole to be produced to clean up the misaligned holes.